My Captive Duchess (The Reeves of Reeves Hall #1)

Chapter 32

Broek

A m I in a nightmare or a dream? It is hard to fathom. A burden lifted from my shoulders when I heard Tarla tell us we had been pardoned. I had not realised just how much of a weight it had been on me to hold this treasonous guilt.

Beautiful as ever, poised and captivating, she spoke to us with her emblematic warmth as if we had parted only as sorrowful friends. She told of her battle with the governing body over several years to win us a pardon, and how at the last she—for the glory was to be hers—had managed it. She spoke of her wish to see us return and reinstated to our positions. She even addressed me directly. “Broek,” she said. “I have missed you dearly. All that happened then is forgotten. Come home, dear love.”

Ten years ago, I would have longed to hear her say this. Now, though, I feel nothing. It was all a sham. I do not love her. All delicate feelings for Tarla were killed long ago. And never do I wish to resurrect a relationship with the poisonous viper that she is.

But still, a decision must be made. I saw the joy on the faces around me. Our exile has been a penance, and many of us are keen to return to our old life. No matter how hard I have strived to build a good life for us here, it has not been enough. In this, I have failed. It is not just my servants that wish to leave. I saw it on Liora’s ecstatic countenance, and a little on Horis. They have both suffered here, living a life apart from society. I have failed them most terribly too.

One thing was immediately apparent to me. Whatever the decision is to be, stay or leave, it must be a unanimous one. Our family cannot be split in two, with one half here and the other back on Uvon. If we are to return, then we must all go. And if we are to stay, then all of us must remain. And what of Jane? I forced myself not to glance at her. Until I know my siblings’ mind on the matter, I cannot chart a way forward. I cannot prevent my family and servants from doing what they have longed to do for ten years. But how can I leave Jane?

Over the hubbub that broke out around me, I spoke with all the authority I had. “Silence! Clearly each of us has a decision to make—stay or go. No one will be judged harshly for the choice they make. All I ask is that you inform me by ten o’clock tomorrow of your decision so that we may make the appropriate preparations. I shall leave you now to reflect on the matter. Liora, Horis, Simor, my control room. I shall wait for you there.” Then, careful not to lay eyes on Jane, though I sensed her confusion, I strode out of the room.

I feel a pounding at my temple and in my racing heart as I now go down to the basement and go through the security scan to enter the space below. Once at my console, I sit and stare blankly. Home. What would it be like to return? I shall hardly be welcomed as a hero. I would have to start over and rebuild our fortunes there. To our great ancestral palace we would go. I envisage my private apartment there that I had so lovingly appointed. Undoubtedly there would be greater comforts to be had there. But I could not go without Jane.

My heart stops. Will my wilful little duchess accompany me to Uvon? She does not even know yet that our home is on a distant planet. I am sure she thinks we shall be riding the seas on a ship to journey there. Space flight, or any flight for that matter, is something outside her comprehension. Will she even be able to start a new life on a completely different planet? It will be a shock for her to learn the truth. And with a young daughter to protect, would she ever consider setting foot in a machine that flies high up in the sky?

I sink my head in my hands, overwhelmed with despair. Great Yol, but you are testing me! It is then I hear the knock at my door. I rise to open it and let in Liora, Horis and Simor. We sit in a circle and wait. The silence presses on me. I must speak. “Let us freely express one by one what is in our minds,” I say. “Liora, you go first. Do you wish to return to Uvon?”

She hesitates then blurts, “Yes.”

“I thought so,” I tell her with a touch of sadness.

She picks up on my melancholy. “Broek,” she says quickly, “I know you have tried your best to help us build a good life here, and what we have achieved together is commendable. But you cannot change the way English society views women. We are chattels, at the mercy of men. And because of this, I have been condemned to remaining here at Reeves Hall, hiding my true self from society. In Uvon, I can be free again to have a career, affairs of the heart, and perhaps in time to find a suitable mate to form a union with.” She finishes sadly, looking at me, “None of these things I can do here.”

My heart sinks, but I nod in understanding. “I hear you, Liora.” I turn to my middle brother. “And you, Horis?”

He swallows thickly. “I am unsure, Broek. I am comfortable and used to my life here now. However, as a physician, it is nigh on impossible to practise my craft except within the confines of Reeves Hall. Look what happened when I made the decision to treat Chloe. I know it put us all in danger. Thankfully, that danger did not materialise, for Jane is unlike most people, and we have come to trust her. But if such a situation were to arise again, I would be put into that intolerable position of knowing I have the means to save a person’s life and knowing too that I risk our lives by doing so.”

I nod again. “Your logic is indisputable, Horis.” Then I turn finally to my youngest brother. “And what of you, Simor?”

He glances at us uneasily then sighs. “If you decide to return to Uvon, then of course I shall come with you. However, I will have you all know that I would not mind staying on Earth. I was very young when we left our old home, and my memories of it are not as clear as yours may be. I will admit that I have grown comfortable here. It feels like home to me, and I have made friendships with people outside of Reeves Hall. I would be loath to leave that behind.”

I press his shoulder. “Your feelings matter as much as ours do, Simor. Thank you for telling us your truth.”

Simor eyes me narrowly. “It is your turn now, Broek. Tell us what you wish to do.”

“Side by side with the fact that we will get a greater quality of life on Uvon is the reality of having to confront Tarla again, something I have no wish to do,” I say heavily. “Be that as it may, I have one consideration that troubles me the most.”

“Jane,” murmurs Liora.

“Yes, Jane. She has agreed to be my wife, but she does not know that Uvon is a planet in a distant galaxy. I fear… I fear that when she learns this, she will not agree to journey there with me.”

“And if she does not?” prompts Horis.

“Then I would wish to remain here with her,” I say with finality.

“You have fallen in love with her,” states Horis.

I do not reply. If I am to disclose my sentiments, then Jane must be the first to hear them. Instead, I say, “So, it seems we are split on the matter. I think I speak for all of us, however, when I say that we cannot split our family in two. We must either all go or stay.”

Liora nods furiously. “If there is one thing that I have learned since our exodus here, it is the importance of family. We must stay together.”

Everyone else murmurs their assent. “In that case,” I decide, “we shall put it to a vote. And we must agree to all abide by that vote.”

“What if it is a tie?” wonders Horis.

“Then we vote again, and this time, I will withdraw from the matter. With only three votes, it will be impossible to have a tie.”

“That is hardly fair,” frowns Simor.

“It is as fair as I can make it,” I bite back. Softening my tone, I say, “whatever you three agree on, I will abide by.” A heavy cloud descends on me as I know what that could mean. Just then, as if I have conjured Jane from my mind, the alert sounds on my screen. Someone is at the basement door, and though I put the screen on visual to see who it is, I already know. For an endless moment, I stare into Jane’s hazel brown eyes. Then I take a deep breath and dismiss the alert, turning to my siblings to get back to the matter in hand. “Are you ready to vote?” I ask them gruffly. They nod. I hand them each a tablet and instruct, “Write your vote, stay or go, then on the count of three, hold up your tablet.”

We all begin to write on our tablet. I countdown three and we all show our vote. My heart pounds madly in my chest. What if the decision is to leave? I feel as if I am standing at a precipice. Then, bracing myself for what I am to see, I check each of my siblings’ votes. It is a three to one decision to stay, Liora being the lone voice wanting to return to Uvon. I expel a sigh of relief. If the vote had gone the other way around, I would have had to convince Jane to come with me, leaving behind all that is familiar to her. And what if she had refused? I begin to realise now that I could not have left Jane, even if it meant breaking up the tight unit of my family. Thank Yol, that is not a decision I now need to face.

“So,” I say with finality. “We stay.”

Liora stares down at her feet, her body held stiffly. I sense her acute disappointment. Without a word, she rises and leaves the room. My brothers too are quick to leave. And then I bury my face in my hands, emotion overcoming me. I remain in this state until I am interrupted by a call from Or’ots, one of the guards, who is on duty at the gate. “The duchess is on her horse and wanting to leave the estate,” he says hurriedly. “What do I do?”

For a brief moment, I am tempted to withhold my assent. I want to keep her close, never let her go. But I gave my word. “Let her go,” I bark. The line disconnects as Or’ots goes to do my bidding. Without thinking, I fire up my console and programme the nanoprobes to fly out to the main gates. A visual comes up on the screen. She is on her horse, looking tight lipped. I instruct the probes to follow her wherever she goes and sit back to watch and listen.

I see her urge the horse to a gallop and the wind whip at her face as she rides out to freedom. Her expression eases with each mile until she reaches Penhale village. There, she slows to a trot and looks around her pensively. Her eyes spy the church, and I know, even before she guides her horse in that direction that this is the place where she will go. I have deprived her of access to this holy place for over a month, I think with a heavy heart. Of course, it is where she will want to go.

I see her dismount and secure her horse to a post, then walk hesitantly to the church doors. The hall is empty as she enters and takes a deep breath, no doubt inhaling the unmistakable scent of beeswax and incense. Then she walks to a pew and kneels down to pray. I watch her for endless minutes, reading the pain and confusion in her countenance as she says her silent prayers. We each worship a different god—or perhaps it is the same entity with a different name—and yet I wonder if the words of her prayer echo my own private incantations not long ago.

After a while, I notice that she is no longer alone. Someone has entered the church hall and is observing her from a pew three rows behind. It is Reverend Horton. He sits calmly and watches her. I straighten up in my seat and turn the volume higher so I can hear whatever words are spoken.

Eventually, Jane finishes her prayers and stands to leave. That is when she notices the reverend and goes to him. I listen to their conversation. Of course, he is curious about her presence still in Penhale when all had supposed her to have left. Jane replies cautiously. I see in her eyes that she is thinking rapidly about her response, but I have no fear that she will betray us. I know my Jane, and I am proved right. She concocts a story that is close to the truth without revealing the secrets of Reeves Hall.

But then the reverend asks if anything is troubling her, and she pierces my heart with her reply. “Not only am I a widow with a young child to care for, but I am also an orphan, and the only family I have left—an uncle and aunt—have been less than kind towards me. I am fortunate to have sufficient funds to live comfortably, and for that I am immensely grateful, yet my future lies uncertain.” I will take care of you, Jane. Never will I leave you . I send the promise out into the ether, but I doubt that she can hear me.

Then she is out of the church and mounting her horse again, riding back like the wind. I do not let up my watchful vigil, even as she enters the house and goes to the kitchen, searching for something to eat. I realise I too have eaten nothing since breakfast hours ago, though in the agitated state I am in, I do not think I could consume a single morsel. She goes up to her chamber, finishes the slices of bread and cheese, then enters the washroom. I see her open the door to my chamber, a hopeful look on her face that quickly disappears when she finds it empty.

She collects herself, hides her disappointment and goes to find her daughter. It is then I disengage the probes and leave her alone. For the next hours, I keep busy speaking with members of my household to ascertain their wishes. I am surprised by just how many of them decide to stay on here. Catana, thankfully, is not one of them. I know it is her that aided Jane in her escape. There is no room in my household for such perfidy, and I make that clear to Catana when we speak. It is no surprise then that she elects to return to Uvon.

Finally, I can stall things no longer. I need to find Jane. I head to my bedchamber and it is then I see the indicator light on the washroom door. Jane is inside, and I know she must be in the bath. The time has come for her to know the whole truth about me. I enter the washroom and declare, “Jane, we need to talk.”

She sits up in the bath, the wariness in her expression turning to confusion as I begin to disrobe. Once I am naked, I step into the tub and pull her into my lap. For this conversation, I want her in my arms, my hand to her chest, feeling the beat of her heart. She does not resist as I draw her close and drop a kiss to the soft nape of her neck. “Jane,” I murmur into her ear. “There are important matters I must reveal to you, but first, I have this to say.” I kiss her temple, then take a deep breath and speak. “I love you with all my heart and wish to spend the rest of my days with you.”